Welcome Merrill Gardens at Rockridge!

Our senior housing project in Oakland, California — Merrill Gardens at Rockridge — is now opened! We are so excited to announce the opening of this beautifully-crafted, mixed-use senior housing community and can’t wait to share images of the completed project with you!

Located at the central hub of five major arterials, the design of Merrill Gardens at Rockridge strikes an intriguing balance between urban and residential architecture in the neighborhood. The east façade of the six-story building reflects a mix of architectural elements consistent with the neighboring downtown apartments and UC Berkeley to maintain a strong street presence along the major retail corridor. Conversely, in order to blend with the nearby residential neighborhood fabric, a distinctive color palette was selected for the west façade to reflect the vernacular style of the eclectic Temescal neighborhood, and provide a vibrant yet familiar visual character for the building.  

Northeast Corner

Northeast Corner

Designed to create a sense of transparency and connectivity, extensive glazing was used at street-level, making the amenity spaces a part of the street action. 

Northeast Street Corner

Northeast Street Corner

The 170,860-square-foot community offers a total of 127 residential units including studio, one- and two-bedroom units, along with a broad array of hospitality-inspired amenities, such as bistro, theater, wellness center and beauty salon. Designed to promote a sense of community, the building features both formal and casual common spaces to encourage social interaction between residents.

Living Room

Living Room

Activity Room

Activity Room

Theater

Theater

Beauty Salon

Beauty Salon

Bistro 

Bistro 

Along with modern indoor amenity spaces, the community provides a variety of outdoor spaces to promote a healthy lifestyle. Inside the courtyard, residents can take a leisurely stroll, or enjoy gardening and al fresco dinning with friends and families. 

Courtyard 

Courtyard 

To see more photos of this newly furnished community, visit our project page for Merrill Gardens at Rockridge!

A Fresh Look Into Our Two New Projects!

We are so excited to announce the openings of our two senior housing projects in Washington — Merrill Gardens at Burien, and Merrill Gardens at Auburn!

Located in downtown town center of Burien, Merrill Gardens at Burien reflects a blend of traditional main street characters and modern architectural elements that are designed in accordance to the design guidelines of Burien. This 166,320-square-foot community offers a total of 111 residential units including studio, one-, and two-bedroom units. The building features both formal and casual social spaces to encourage camaraderie among residents and promote a sense of community.

Living Lounge

Living Lounge

The interior of this community reflects classic main street characters, where details are rich with earthy accents, colors and textures. To create a more residential ambiance, soft lighting and furnishings with neutral colors are used throughout the amenity spaces. Large windows are also used to let the daylight comes through and fills the interior space with a soft, pleasing glow. 

Dining Room

Dining Room

Library

Library


On the other hand, Merrill Gardens at Auburn, located in the heart of downtown Auburn, was created to reinterpret the traditional old town main street architecture with a contemporary twist. This project features a highly-modern layout, along with a bright and airy interior feel. With convenient access to the Sounder Train Station and a variety of local retails, restaurants and other area amenities, this community is designed to meet the expectations of seniors who seek a modern and independent lifestyle. This 169, 310-square-foot community offers a total 129 residential units with a mix of studio, one-, and two-bedroom units.

Dining Room 

Dining Room 

The dining room of this project features extensive glazing and floor-to-ceiling windows, which flood the interior space with natural light and create a breath of openness. The open modern layout of the communal area allow residents to decide whether to participate fully in group activities or from the periphery. Short walking distances in between amenity spaces also provide an ease of access to common areas, allowing less-mobile residents to easily venture out and join in.

Dining Room / Bistro

Dining Room / Bistro

Emulating modern hospitality interiors, each residential unit has ample space and a private bath with shower where residents can receive guests.

One-bedroom Unit - Living room / Kitchen 

One-bedroom Unit - Living room / Kitchen 

To see more photos of these two newly furnished communities, check out our portfolio page for Merrill Gardens at Burien, and Merrill Gardens at Auburn. In addition to these two new communities, our apartment project in Burien, and senior housing project in Rockridge, California, are getting close to opening their doors. Stay tuned for more updates on our next new project! 

Urban Design: Backyard Cottages for Seniors

For seniors who require long-term senior care, staying in hospitals and long-term care facilities may be financially challenging, particularly if they are living off their pensions and retirement funds with limited coverage for healthcare. To create a more affordable housing option for seniors, a research team in Calgary, Alberta, has been developing a portable solution that would allow seniors to remain in a home environment and age in place in a community.

This week, our Project Manager, Josh, introduced us to an innovative backyard cottage project in Calgary and discussed the potentials of developing prefabricated cottages in Seattle. 

A rendering of the backyard cottage project.   |  Image by the University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design via Next City. 

A rendering of the backyard cottage project.   |  Image by the University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design via Next City

Written by Josh Janet, Project Manager | PE:

One solution for addressing city concerns over population growth and housing shortages that has been discussed over the last few years in Seattle is the backyard cottage (otherwise known as “mother-in-law suite,” “laneway housing,” or the painfully dull “detached accessory dwelling unit”). The basic idea is that rather than upzone single-family neighborhoods around the city to allow for apartment building construction, single family neighborhoods may be zoned (and encouraged) instead to build additional smaller units on existing properties to create new living space.

It is not my intent with this post to weigh the pros and cons of backyard cottages. There has been plenty of that going around neighborhood councils and planning meetings as it is. Instead, I thought I would comment on a recent article on Next City that introduces the idea of prefabricated cottages designed specifically for seniors in mind.

The provision of senior housing is a chief concern for the folks at Urbal. We work diligently with clients on designing and developing senior housing that addresses the needs of an older population while respecting the need to support independent and active lifestyles. Unfortunately, new construction can be very expensive, especially in hot real estate markets like Seattle, and so the work we produce isn’t always affordable to the full range of seniors that need both affordable and accessible housing.

Researchers at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Environmental Design, Cumming School of Medicine, and O’Brien Institute for Public Health are currently evaluating a prefabricated backyard cottage designed with medical monitoring technology and chronic disease management equipment included. The single-story units are approximately 460 square feet in area (less than the 800 square feet maximum allowed in Seattle) and are intended to be portable for re-use on multiple sites. Special features include:

  • The cabinetry in the kitchenettes are designed with wipe boards to help seniors coping with memory loss to mark the contents of each.
  • Under-cabinet lighting is used in areas with counter tops, such as the kitchen and bathroom, to help residents’ eyes adjust more easily when being used at night.
  • Full length towel bars along bottom cabinetry that double as grab bars.

Backyard cottages are popular in Canadian cities like Calgary and Vancouver because the lots are generally longer and skinnier than what we have in the United States and can more easily accommodate additional units without impacting the privacy of the primary residence. The lots are also usually backed by an alley, so backyard cottage residents can access their units without having to pass through the front of the property. What I’m getting at is that these specific units might not work as well on Seattle lots, but the general idea remains a good one.

A second concern is the cost. The article states that these units would be expected to be rented or leased for $1500 to $1900 per month. This is not unreasonable for a senior that requires extensive medical monitoring and treatment from a healthcare professional, but I would imagine that subsidizing even a portion of the cost of these units as a city policy would help seniors relying on social security payments to afford these units more comfortably.

A third concern is the appearance of these units. They look very institutionalized, even with a few stylized elements like continuous grab bars in the bathrooms that double as shower rods and toilet paper dispensers. The presence of medical equipment in the home doesn’t preclude it from being designed to feel like a home. Warmer tones and more natural materials would help make the cottage feel right at home in a single-family neighborhood rather than the current “Jetsons” vibe this unit is imparting.

I will be following the development of these units to see how they perform and whether or not the University will be able to partner with a contractor and manufacturer to get the idea off the ground.